'Thank you' - the words an emotional Gail O'Rorke whispered as she was acquitted

Gail O’Rorke, at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where she was found not guilty to aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the suicide of Bernadette Forde (51) by helping her to procure and administer a toxic substance between April 20, 2011 and June 6, 2011 at a location in Dublin. Pic: Courts Collins.

Her face seemed to cloak a myriad of emotions, especially as the final moments of her court ordeal came to its dramatic conclusion.

When the jury departed shortly after 10.30am this morning to continue their deliberations, the residual tension, and sense of expectation in the courtroom, was palpable.

The wait seemed interminable as one hour blended into another.

And then, shortly after 3pm, the jury returned.

They had been considering their verdict for just under seven hours.

The 43-year-old visibly shook as she sat in the dock, her head resting on clenched fists.

Gail O’Rorke with her husband Barry at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court where she was found not guilty aiding, abetting, counselling or procuring the suicide of Bernadette Forde. Pic: Courts Collins.Tom Curran partner of Marie Fleming at the trial of Gail O’Rorke at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court. Pic: Courts Collins.

As she stared into the distance, lost in her own thoughts, she dabbed her eyes with a white handkerchief.

The floral designs on her black dress provided a tinge of colour in contrast to her drawn and bleak complexion.

She threw her family a worrying glance, steeling herself for the judgement to come.

But as the words 'Not Guilty' punctured the silence in Court 17, the veneer of restraint collapsed.